Violence in our schools

[Whattodo541289]

What needs to happen for the SNP to take violence in schools seriously?

https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/edinburgh-parents-shaken-core-pupils-33219303

My daughter was attacked at school twice in a bigoted attack and the response was to suggest a friendly chat with the other child’s family. We declined. This other family knew what was happening and didn’t care so I’m not sure what looking at me while not caring would achieve.

I signed her up for self defence classes starting today and she has my 100% support to protect herself however she needs to. It’s incredibly depressing that it’s come to this (though of course important she learns how to defend herself anyway). She’s a good kid who just wants to learn (and is doing brilliantly and loves school despite the chaos) but I won’t send her into the world without any sort of plan on what to do the next time something happens

(we are Jewish and she was surrounded by a group of older teenage boys yelling horrible things at her in the stairs. She was literally curled up in a ball with her hands over her head until a friend showed up and started yelling)

An hour’s detention or a few days off school as a suspension is in no way a deterrent.

These children who behave violently would be sat laughing at not having to conform to any rules for a few days. And if it’s just a detention given, they smirk or swear at the teacher as they walk out of school anyway because they aren’t bothered. And then when the teacher rings home, the parents give a barrage of abuse down the phone or worse still, come storming into school swearing, calling the teacher all the expletives under the sun and saying the teacher is a liar. You can’t physically hold the children, you can’t punish them, SLT are unavailable so you have to evacuate the entire rest of the class in a violent episode. The learning of all of the other children is ended for the full lesson because they can’t get back on track. Any particular innocent victim is traumatised and becomes fearful of school. I’ve had to remove detentions countless times because OFSTED apparently won’t like the amount of sanctions we have given out, and it looked ‘worse’ in my dept as we gave out more (because we tried to deal with the behaviour) so we as teachers became monitored for our own performance.

This happened to me on more than a handful of occasions, and these weren’t even from especially violent children.

Teachers are there to teach. If a child can’t behave reasonably well (not perfectly, they can’t all get it right all the time), they need specialist help, whether that is being in specialist school, have 1-1 support, behaviour support available at all times and lose the rules regarding consequences such as when the suspension ends, they can’t get another one straight away. I can’t see any of this happening, largely due to money, but it’s so wrong. School should be safe learning environment for everyone and what a travesty that it’s not.

I’ve since left the profession.

I should add though, I’m so sorry for any child who experiences violence or bullying in any form in our schools.

Nothing is being done to protect them in a lot of circumstances. I feel so, so sorry for that.

It's disgraceful. A friend is a secondary teacher and she despairs at the fact kids cannot be excluded. It feels like teachers have been left to deal with this on their own.

It’s beyond horrendous that children have to suffer physical and mental harm from their peers. Why is it ok for a child to be beaten up in their workplace but not for an adult to be beaten up in theirs??

I know if at least one teacher who nearly died ( it was in the papers).

I think the individual was given some hours of community service or no punishment ( he licked her up and slammer her against concrete and she subsequently was disabled).

Children are running riot because there are no consequences, not at school and not at home.
The narrative that their 'brains don't reach full development until 25 therefore they can't be held accountable' has contributed to the youth we have today.

No respect for Police, Teachers or parents.

And yet depressingly, people carry on voting SNP who will likely still be the major party in the May elections. Not sure what the alternative is (although it's definitely not Reform)

A lot of the children are living in chaotic families with various issues, including how they are prioritised in terms of their parents' spending. Giving the parents more money will be unlikely to help them.

It's very depressing. If any canvassers for SNP come round before the elections I'm telling them all the reasons I no longer vote for them and will never vote for them again, including this. I'm so worried for my children and their futures.